“Felt like a big deal when I woke in the morning and you’d gone.”
Color filled her cheeks, making them burn with humiliation. She’d woken, panicked, and run. Lani didn’t normally behave like she had that night. She never let people close; it was too dangerous. She hadn’t been proud of her behavior, but she’d done it just the same because there had been no other option. With a last lingering look at the large male in the bed, she’d run, clutching her shoes as if the hounds of hell were on her heels.
“That’s how it works.” She went for bravado, like she slept with men and moved on all the time when in fact he was the first man she’d done that with. The one before that she’d thought she loved; turned out she’d been wrong there.
“Good sex, then goodbye?”
She risked a look at his face, and he was still smiling at her, but it was a knowing smile now, like he knew she wasn’t telling the truth.
Of course she’d told him she wasn’t experienced, and of course he’d remembered her words.Damn.
“It was for the best. I’m not good with that stuff.” Her voice rose. Great, now she sounded hysterical.
“Stuff?” He leaned his weight on one hip and folded his arms like he was settling in for a nice long conversation.
“Look. We likely won’t see each other again, so bye.”
“It’s not a big town, to be fair, so we likely will if you stick around.” He was teasing her now. “What are your plans while you’re here?”
Her eyes shot over his left shoulder to the cake shop, or more importantly the small white card in the window that had the words Help Needed.
“Mrs. Cribbins is a lovely lady, if you need work. She would be awesome as an employer. Eccentric, and a bit crazy, but nice.”
Her eyes shot back to his.
“It started out as Cribbins Cakery because Mrs. C thought it sounded posh, and then the locals nicknamed it the Howlery and it stuck. It’s the only place in town that does celebration cakes and cupcakes.” He leaned in closer. “I’ll be honest, it needs modernizing. We’re all a little over purple flowers on top of our cakes.”
“I don’t need a job,” Lani lied. In fact, she did desperately, but she wouldn’t be taking one in Noah’s town.
“Go talk to her, and I’ll put in a good word for you. Are you any good at cake decorating?”
“I don’t think so—”
“And there she is. Mrs. C, you got a minute?”
“What are you doing?” Lani hissed as a tall woman approached. She wore an orange tracksuit with black stripes up the side. On her head was a wide turquoise scarf with two black braids sticking out the bottom.
“I don’t have my boots on,” Lani hissed, dragging her eyes from the vision approaching. Her lips were painted a bright orange.
“She’s not employing you because of your boots or lack thereof.”
“Hello, Noah dear. Looking handsome as always.” The woman kissed his cheek, leaving a set of orange lips imprinted there.
“You been out walking the trails again, Mrs. C?”
“I have. Doc and Lizzie came with me, but I couldn’t drag Hank out of bed. That man’s getting lazy since he retired, and fat as a slug.”
“He sounds sensible to me,” Noah added. “Lani, this is Mrs. Cribbins. She broke my heart when she married Hank, and I’ll be forever scarred, but what can you do in the face of true love.”
The woman swatted Noah on the arm.
“He’s a charmer, Lani, this one.”
“I can see that.”
“I called you over, Mrs. Cribbins, to meet Lani. She’s looking for work, and baking is her thing.”
“Oh, no—”
